THE CAVE OF THE CYCLOPS
"The next day I started with twelve men, the crew of my own ship,
to find out what kind of men inhabited the country opposite us, leaving
all the other boats and their men on the island. When we sailed up
to the coast of the mainland, we heard the voices of giants, and the
bleating of their sheep and goats. And we saw a cave with a high roof,
over whose entrance grew laurel shrubs, and many cattle, sheep, and
goats were lying around at rest. We found an enclosure of rough stone
in the form of a court, with tall pines and leafy oaks at the mouth
of the cave.
"The largest giant of all the race of Cyclops dwelt there and took
care of his cattle all alone. Usually he spent his time prowling all
by himself around the mountains. He had nothing to do with his
neighbors, but led a solitary life, plotting wicked deeds. He looked
more like a huge mountain top, with shaggy overhanging forests,
towering above other mountains, than a human being.
"We were soon inside the cave, but we did not find the owner at home.
We had carried with us a wine-skin full of wine which a priest of
Apollo had given us. The wine was very fragrant and so pleasant that
no one who had once tasted it, could let it alone. We had taken along
a basket of food also, for fear of meeting with men of great strength
and no sense of the courtesy due to strangers.
"As we looked around the cave we wondered at what we saw. There were
baskets all about heaped with cheeses, and pens of lambs separated
into three folds, the older in one pen, the younger in another, and
the youngest in a third. And there were pails full of whey, and buckets
of milk. My companions ate as much of the cheese as they liked, after
which they begged to drive all the lambs and kids down to the ship.
"But I would not allow this. It was my wish to stay there and see
the cave-dweller and find out what kind of a man he was. I thought
he would give me a handsome present, according to the laws of
hospitality. It was cold in the cave, so we lit a fire and sat down
to wait for the owner to arrive.
"He came toward evening, carrying a load of wood on his back, which
he threw down with such a crash that my men ran with terror into the
corners of the cave. The giant drove all such sheep and goats as would
give him milk into the cave, leaving the others in the outside court,
and then closed up the entrance with a rock so large that twenty-four
four-wheeled wagons could not have moved it. Having done this, he
sat down and milked the sheep and goats and gave to each its young
one.
"Next, he curdled half of the milk and put the curd into woven baskets,
but he kept the other half for his evening meal. When he had ended
this work he lit a fire, and seeing the strangers he began to ask
them questions, to find out who they were. His voice was deep and
frightful, like the rumbling of a volcano, and our hearts trembled,
but I found words to answer him: 'We are Greeks, and come from Troy.
It was our intention to return home, but contrary winds have driven
us on this shore.
"'We belong to the army of Agamemnon, whose fame is very great because
he has overcome a strong city and conquered many nations. But now
we throw ourselves at thy feet and pray that thou wilt receive us
as guests, or else give us the gifts that are due to strangers, lest
the gods avenge us.'
"Having said this, I stopped, but the Cyclops told us that we were
fools to believe in the gods. 'The Cyclops,' he said, 'care nothing
for the gods. We are better than they are. If I spare thee it will
be of my own free will, and not for fear of the gods. But where are
thy ships? Are they near here or far off?' This he said hoping to
deceive us, but I saw through his trick, and replied: 'The storm has
thrown our ships upon the cliffs and broken them to pieces, and we
had to swim for our lives.'
"The cruel monster did not answer me again, but he seized two of my
companions and dashed them to the ground with such force that they
died on the spot. He devoured them as a lion devours his prey. He
left nothing of them, neither bones nor flesh nor hair. We wept aloud
and prayed to Zeus with our hearts full of despair."